Machine for pressing in box-toes



A. J. RYAN.

MACHINE FOR PBESSING IN BOX TOES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 10, I916- Patented Oct. 19, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET I 'iwv W MorwvayQ A. J. RYAN.

MACHINE FOR PRESSING IN BOX TOES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 10. 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT, OFFICE-l ALBERT J. RYAN, 0F CINCINNATI, OHIO.

MACHINE roa rnnssme 11v BOX-TOES.'

Application filed June 10, 1916'. Serial No. 102,981. I

. this specification.

My invention relates to that certain novel machine to be employedin the manufacture of shoes and which consists in mechanism for pressing downof box toestogether with the uppers of shoes immediately after tacking the upper to the last and inserting the box toe, and beforewiping in the upper, and lasting the shoes.

The great difliculty with box toes in shoes particularly in the present style of shoes which have a smooth toe, without any added toe trim, such as has been the style in the past, is that the edge of the box shows in the completed shoe in a ridge which is unsightly. IVhere an extra trim is sewed onto the upper, this may be-arranged to conceal the ridge left by the box, but as above stated, it is no longer the universal practice to have such a trim. Box toes become very hard after standing in the shoe when pulling over and tacking of the upper'to the last is accomplished, and the wiping in of the upper in the present processes merely pulls the upper aroundthe edges of the last, and the only flatteningdown of the box toethat 1 is accomplished is that which results from pulling the upper tightly down on the last. Leather is not strong enough to withstand a pull that will completely smooth down the box t0e,even if it is still soft, and moreover the pressing down of the box must be accomplished by a pressure medium that fully conforms to the shape of the last and has no strain on the leather.

These objects I accomplish by that certain machine having a structure and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more specifically pointed out and the invention herein duly-claimed. I In the drawings, a Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine. Fig. 2'is a top plan view thereof. 7 Fig. 3 is a front elevation .ofthepressure devices thereof.

Specification ofIletters fatent. v

Patented Oct. 19, 1920.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail, partly in section, of the pressure plunger.

.Fig. 5 is a plan view of the canvas top {)hat fits over the shoe of'the plunger mem- Fig. 6 is a detail side elevation of one of the pivoted claws. I a

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of one of the shoe engaging clips that are pivoted to the ends of the claws. i

In the treatment of a shoe, in lasting of the same, one of the first assembling operations is to pull the upper over the last that is to be employed, and to tack it down with a number of tacks to the bottom of the last.

softened condition.

At this time the box toe, which consists of a The usual process in use in weltshoesat the present time has for the next step the wiplng in of the upper, which is done by means of a machine which engages the upper at the edges of the last and draws it tightly over the last inserting more tacks to hold it in place without any'wrinkles at said edges. Now the boxes will show in a raised edge after this operation unless an operative witha hammer pounds down the box, which is a slow and expensive operation that cannot be resorted to in the less expensive type of shoes, and is likely to result in ruining the shoe.

In my new machine after the pulling over and tacking is done, I apply pressure to the upper side of the last by means of a yielding pressure device that conforms to the shape of the toe, and while the box is soft'I iron it down against the last by applying this pressure,'.thereby matting the upper and box together. I Y

The use of machine is also of great value in that as far as'the' toe is concerned,

- the lasting operations of the shoe beginning with wiping in are rendered much easierp:

The leather parts over the shoe; are held down firmly and remain smooth and fiat.

This is of great importance in the lasting 1 of shoes, as itis with the toe that the largest amount of difliculty is had. The'shoe is allowed to stand after this, pressing is done, and the box becomes hard, without raising up during the hardening, as the "applying ofthe pressure so completely mashes down the box that it will harden in its flattened condition and leave no apparent ridge in the upper of the completed shoe. It should be understood that this operation must occur while the box is soft and after it is inserted in the upper and the upper pulled over the last. Moreover the pressure must be applied uniformly over the toe without pulling on the leather, by a member that is flexible to conform to the toe.

The machine is mounted on a framework having legs 1, 1, and a top or table portion 2. A bracket 3 which serves as the support for the pressing device, is mounted on the table, and has mounted between extensions 4, at its forward side, the rods 5, 5, one at each side. A- cross head 6 is provided adapted to slide on these rods 5, 5, and connectechdirectly to the cross head are rods 7 which are secured at their lower ends to a treadle 8 which is pivoted at the rear side of the frame near the base thereof. This treadle when depressed by the foot will draw the cross head downwardly toward the table portion of the frame.

Mounted on the rods 5, 5, above the cross head, is another sliding bar 9, which has secured at its under side the shaft or plunger 10. The bar is connected to the cross head by means of rods 11, 11, at each end, and the plunger extends down through the middle of the cross head.

Pivotally mounted around a ring 12, mounted on the under side of the cross head, and through which ring the plunger extends. are a series of preferably five claws 13, which form a half circle. These claws extend downwardly and have pivoted to their ends the clips 14, preferably by a hinged connection 15.

The plunger 10 telescopes into a hollow shaft 10 and is slidable therein as limited by a pin 16 on the plunger which engages in a slot 17 in the hollow shaft. The hollow shaft is provided at its base with rubber foot 18, and cemented to the bottom of the foot is a sheet of canvas 21, to the under surface of which is secured a sheet of rub ber 20. This canvas with the rubber facing forms the pressure shoe by means of which the pressure is applied to the box toe. The canvas sheet andrubber are cut at the edges into a series of five scallops so as to leave 55' tabs 22, 22. which are engaged and held in the clips 14L, by means of screws or rivets (not shown), or in any other desired manner.

When the treadle is depressed. supposing that a last has been mounted beneath the pressure member. as will be described, the first movement downwardwill bring the cross head and plunger downwardlyuntil the pressure shoe contacts with the upper side of the toe of the last. Continued motion ofthe treadle forces the plunger down against the spring and forces the pressure shoe firmly against the top of the last and at the same time forces the claws around the sides of the last toe, and pulls down on the pressure shoe. As soon as this pressure extends the rubber portion of the shoe to a safe extent, the force of the claws is expended on the canvas backing of the said pressure shoe, and the continued downward movement tightly stretches the shoe over the toe of the last, the plunger sliding in the shaft so as to allow the continued downward movement.

Secured to the upper sliding bar 9 is a cord which passes over sheaves at 23 and 24 and is connected to a weight 25 to return the pressure member to its original position after the treadle is released thereby returning the treadle also.

To the rear of the pressure devices, on the table of the machine, is hinged at 26 the plate 27. This plate has journals 28, 23, for the pintle 29 of a roller 30, and the plate is pressed upwardly by a spring 31. Extending out beneath the pressure member from this spring mounting for the roller is a raised toe shaped rest 82 for the toe of the last to be acted upon, and the spring roller is adapted for forming a flexible rest for the under side of the heel of the last, while the toe is held rigidly onthe said toe rest.

Mounted pivotally on a pair of arms 33, extending up at either side of the roller mount, is a rod 84: on which is mounted the top retaining plate35. This plate has on its under side the post 36 for engagement in the usual hole in the last, and the plate is 1111 der the tension of a flat spring 37 which tends to hold it in position against the upper side of the heel of a last.

The last retaining members above de scribed are all mounted on a sliding bed 38 which slides on angle iron guides 39 on each side of the table behind the pressure members. The last is inserted in the hold ing devices by placing the heel portion over the spring roller, and lowering the plate 35 so that the post enters the hole in the last. The last is then resiliently held at the heel and its toe-rests on the toe rest 32.

A transversely sliding bar 40 is provided controlled by a handle 41, which is pivoted to one end of and extends to the front of the machine. This bar has a series of steps 42 for different sized lasts and lies in the path of the sliding bed. The operator selects the proper abutment step for the last to be used, and then slides the bed rearward until it is stopped by the said step. The last will then be positioned with its toe directly beneath the pressure foot, and the slight lateral adjustments, which are necessary for rights and lofts in many lasts, maybeaccomplished by moving the toe of the last slightly, the

mounting devices being loose enough to allow this movement.

It can be seen thatthe operation of the retaining devices is simple and will hold the last so that it will not slip out of place during the pressing process. The rubber shoe will come down closely around the edges of the toe, and-the pad 20 will press down in conformity to the curve of the top of the toe. If the pad 20 were omitted, the rubber shoe could be made thick enough to serve the same purpose, it being necessary only that the pressure members should engage uniformly over the upper surface of the toe of the last, and that they should conform to the shape of the last. The rubber could be omitted and the pressure shoe formed of canvas or some like material, but the rubber foot 18 is believed by me to be necessary in about the form described.

It is desired to note particularly that this machine could readily be used for other purposes for box toes, such as molding box toe pieces over the last before inserting in the shoe, and other kindred molding or pressing operations over the toes of shoe lasts.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a machine oi the character described, a depressible member of elastic material to operate upon the upper side of the toe of a last, a flexible member on said depressible member, and means for pulling down said members over said toe.

In amachine of the character described, a depressible member composed of rubber or like material to operate upon the upper side of the toe of a last, and a flexible member about said depressible member, means for depressing the said depressible member, and means for engaging the edges of the flexible material and pulling it down over the said toe.

3. In a machine of the character described,

a flexible member to lie over and entirely cover the toe of a last, and depressible means engaging around the edges thereof to pull the same down around the said toe, for the purpose described.

4:. In a machine of the character described, a depressible member, an actuating member therefor, a spring for operatively connecting said members, and means on the actuating member for engaging the edges of said depressible member without the intervention of the spring, to pull the edges thereof over the toe of a last, after the spring connection has gone into play so as to give them an additional movement.

5. In a machine of the character described, the combination with means for holding a last, of a pressure member comprising a rubber member faced with non-elastic fabric, and means for pressing said rubber against the toe of the last, said fabric being adapted to prevent over stretching of the rubber.

6. In a machine of the character described, the combination with means for holding a last, of a pressure member comprising in part a series of pivoted claws, a pressure on the claws for engaging the edges of the shoe to press it down over the toe of a last.

7. In combination with means for holding a last, a means for pressing a box toe over the last comprising a reciprocating head, a pressure shoe, means resiliently connecting the central portions of the shoe to the head and additional means nonresiliently conshoe formed of flexible material, and means I 

